Author: Mark Boyce
You and I may have a common vision
I had two operations; one as a child and again at the age of 53. I had no say or motivation for the first op but by the time I had reached my early 30’s I had received negative comments from both sexes and of course that slowly impacted my self-confidence at work and in forming relationships. I now understand the power of eye-to-eye contact in those aspects.
Despite this I got by and it took me eighteen further years to make the decision to have another intrusive operation. The operation was successful and in-fact turned my life around, giving me a massive and continuing confidence boost.
The boost for me was very emotional and it gave me an almost divine admiration for the surgeons that operated on me in Melbourne Australia. On the downside, it has left me with visible scaring on one of my eyeballs. I am also armed with the knowledge that I have never experienced 3D and am told I will never experience 3D. This I am told is because my eyes have no mechanism to stay synchronised. Even though they move together they do not track accurately and are unable to “target lock" and fuse on the subject I am looking at. Consequently my eyes will slowly drift back to their original positions (outwards in my case) over the coming years. But hey, don’t despair…
Through research and some common sense, I understand that the brain is now the problem, not my lazy eye. In my understanding, lazy eye was a result stemming from the mis-alignment of my eyes at birth and as a further consequence of the condition not being corrected until I was four years of age. The brain developed the neural pathways to achieve optimal vision by only developing the pathways to the good eye: the result of which is that the image in my lazy eye is focused and sharp but obscured by noise (visual snow). The resultant occlusion is a function of the brain protecting me against double vision..
Early Development
Now the interesting stuff… Being inquisitive, I spent thousands of hours developing a Virtual Reality (VR) application (Native C++) to experiment with my vision. This includes angular correction to my eyesight, balancing of the vision to both eyes by alteration of the vision amplitude applied to both. This made the weak eye work with the strong eye and not independently of it with accurate binocular convergence on subject. In doing so I have made some exciting observations. I was able to see how my eyesight reacted by creating subtle differences in each eye.
Through adjustments on my interface , I modified the alignment, the brightness and depth of field. I was startled to discover that the vision would slowly move from my right eye to the left and as if a fog was clearing. With concentration I could maintain the image in either eye of my choosing. It felt like I had gained control of visual functions I never knew I had.
My observations were short lived as my DK2 got damaged and the device had become obsolete. So I considered the Oculus Quest and discovered that the code I had written was not compatible with the new device. So I became disheartened and temporarily dropped the project.
Susan R. Barry
Recent Work
it was a few years later that I read and article which prompted me to buy a book by Susan R. Barry, a neural scientist who had successfully acquired 3D vision through intensive Vision Therapy (VT). This inspired me to continue with my research. So I finally laid out some cash for the purchase of the Oculus Quest 2 and surrendered the next year to develop software for the new head-set.
I was very impressed by the improvements in visual quality and controllability offered by the Quest 2. So much so that endeavoured to utilise as much of its functionality as I could.
The software has now been completed. and I am religiously using it as much as twice daily, time allowing.
At the age 57 years old, I am already reaping the benefits of my work. My vision has improved markedly and I have now achieved near perfect eye tracking. I'm am now a advocate for VT in what ever form it comes. Either in the VR world or at a Visual Therapy Centre. My own research has proven to me that your vision can be corrected and that there is indisputable evidence that the brain can be retrained in the same way that a person suffering a stroke can re-use limbs through intensive therapy.
The final goal of the application will be to provide you, the patient the ability to experience 3D without the headset. In some cases the journey will be long. but if you have the will power, I can help you with the way.
The software will be part of a continuous improvement program incorporating the kind feedback supplied by users in an effort to improve the experience.
All said and done, I hope this will give you the motivation and inspiration to be part of this new exciting development and discover the real visual world you have missed through your own eyes.
External Reviews
What Makes Equal Eyes Unique and Amazing?
As far as I know, there are 3 apps currently available for use on the Oculus that allow for adjustments to the settings to accommodate for an eye turn or lazy eye. They all have pros and cons and each is the perfect solution for someone.
Let’s take a look at the major similarities and differences that set Equal Eyes apart from the other available options.
Equal Eyes
Purchased and controlled completely by the patient. There is no supervision by a third party. $149 USD
Freedom to choose which activities and games to use for how long and the order.
If you have ideas or suggestions, email them to Mark and he incorporates them! He is constantly improving and adding to the app.
Adjust brightness, contrast, shift and more within the app.
Vivid Vision
Optometrist purchases, prescribes, and controls. The patient pays the optometrist, the cost varies greatly. Usually around $120-175 per month.
The doctor specifies the games and exercises and the patient simply pushes play.
The app rarely has significant updates, it is an amazing app, but it is pretty static.
Adjust brightness, contrast, shift and more from a computer.
Optics Trainer
Optometrist prescribes and controls. The patient then pays Optics Trainer directly. $50 USD per month.
Freedom to choose which activities and games to use for how long and the order.
I’ve yet to see a change to the app in 3 years. It is fantastic, but they aren’t taking suggestions and updating.
Adjust brightness, contrast, shift and more from a computer.
If I was able to have access to all three apps, which would be my favorite? I couldn’t choose. I love Vivid Vision so much and the games are probably the best with the best graphics, but I hate that I can’t change or control any settings, it all must go through my optometrist and it is so expensive!
I sometimes lie awake at night dreaming of new ideas for exercises and I keep sending my ideas over to Mark and he makes them a reality. You just can’t beat that!
What are the Limitations of Equal Eyes?
While I can see the amazing potential of this app, it is definitely not perfect…yet. Let’s take a look at some of the limitations of Equal Eyes so you can understand the full scope.
Things to be aware of:
- This is a work in progress, you are seeing the creation as it is happening. There isn’t a team of full time employees working on fixing every glitch and making it fancy. It is one creative mastermind doing it from his home office. It is very helpful and works well, but right now the focus is on building good content, the bells and whistles are still coming.
- This app is not necessarily designed for children. Children could definitely use it, but unless they are casting it to a screen so that the adult can help guide and direct, it probably wouldn’t be as effective. It requires the user to be engaged and intentional about how they do each exercise and will only be as good as they make it. Other VR vision therapy apps spoon feed the exercises to you, this one is self driven.
- Adjusting the settings without being overseen by an optometrist can be a little sketchy if you don’t know what you’re doing. Doing it the wrong way could make your strabismus worse. Make sure to check with a pro, do research and educate yourself before starting.
While the app is still young and developing, I am excited to see what it transforms into. The bones are great, Mark is amazing at what he does and works so quickly, and there is absolutely nothing else like it on the market.